If You Have a Family Member Who Wanders…

Many caregivers worry about the safety of their loved ones living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. If your family member wandered away from home or another location, would they know how to get back or communicate their needs?

You may be interested to know that the Alzheimer’s Association has launched a product specifically to help caregivers whose family members have Alzheimer’s. The product is called “The Comfort Zone”. It works similarly to a GPS device. The person with Alzheimer’s wears the device or carries it with them. The Comfort Zone can also be mounted in cars. Cell phone towers and satellites help determine the person’s location. Family members can either view location information on the Internet or call the 24/7 monitoring center. You may choose the level of monitoring needed and type of device.

Another option is the MedicAlert and Safe Return program. This is available on its own or as part of the Comfort Zone option. With MedicAlert and Safe Return, the person wears MedicAlert jewelry with relevant medical conditions on it and a number which can be called to locate their contacts. Caregivers can also choose to wear caregiver id bracelets to let people know they are responsible for caring for someone in case of an emergency. For more information on any of these items, the website is www.alz.org.